Suicide
by Nomannic
Summary: A world war has started, but they won't see the end of it. KakashixIruka KakaIru Oneshot. Characterdeath. Dark. An insight into the horrors of war, as an ANBU. Bring your tissues.


**A/N:**** This really surprised me. I've been attempting to figure out how to get Kakashi and Iruka in a situation that would warrant some smutt… but I got this instead. [shrugs] Ah well, guess I'm just meant for tragedy. BUT!! If anyone has any ideas on that, still, please let me know about them. I'm dying to write something like that about them. **

**This was inspired by Here With You by Rowanashke. I recently found out she didn't abandon the site, and she's still working on her stories. It's just been tough in her real life, so… give her a break. Read her stories. And join me in reviewing and supporting her stories. They're just too delicious to be left unfinished.**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy.**

**Warnings:**** Suicide, Character death, torture, gore, and horrific themes.**

**Suicide**

**KakashixIruka**

The treaties could only last so long. And the Sand was an easily aggravated bunch – soon, they were warring with the Grass and the Lightening. They called on their treaty with the Leaf, and they had no choice but to end the treaty – they were being ambushed on a daily basis by the sound and the rock. For the first time in hundreds of years, there was a world war.

Every village for itself, all treaties regarded as null and void.

Iruka stared down at the textbook he was teaching the class from. He was telling them about the treaty, now a part of Konoha's _history_.

It all happened too fast.

X.x.X.x.X

Iruka stared, wide-eyed at the Hokage, licking his lips, trying to come to turns with what she had just told him. "Please… repeat that," he forced out, running a hand through his hair.

She sighed, folding her hands and resting her chin on top of them, eyes closed. "I said we're promoting you to ANBU."

Iruka collapsed into the chair conveniently placed in front of her desk. She opened her eyes to look at him, her expression grim. Iruka didn't notice, staring hard at the carpet, trying to comprehend what was happening. "Why?" He whispered, confused. "I'm just a chunin… a teacher… Hokage, isn't there someone else?"

She shook her head, sighing, and leaned back into her chair, watching him carefully. "We both know you're good enough to be in ANBU, Iruka. You're one of the best we have, and a natural leader – of children, and men. You're the best we have right now – the only one who could possibly handle this. Please, Iruka."

"The War's getting worse, isn't it?" He asked, swallowing his unease. He was a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. He needed to react to this professionally. He could break down at home, when he was just a civilian. But right now, he had to be a ninja.

"I'm afraid so, Iruka. You'll be partnered with Kakashi, because you're the only one who can handle him. Can you do that?"

Iruka swallowed and nodded. She had to be desperate to pair him with his lover. That was something that just didn't happen in the ANBU world, because in their world, the mission came before your life, and your loved ones. Even if you had to kill them yourself. "I can handle it." Could I really? He wondered, resisting the urge to bawl like a little baby. Could I kill Kakashi with my bare hands? Could I watch someone else kill him… and still put the mission first?

He glanced past the Hokage, looking out at the village his family had died protecting. There were still a few buildings smoking, a heap of charred black ash and stone, from the last raid on the village. They'd gotten close enough to kill people this time. To kill civilians, and children. He'd walked past where they were laying out the bodies on his way here – a few babies, some teenagers, a few adults, three ninja, and an old woman with her eyes still open, laid down in a careful, meticulous line down the street, like some morbid parade. He could still remember the face of a three year old, the back of her head obliterated, still oozing chunks of grey matter, surrounded by a pool of her own blood, a smile on her tiny, gentle face. She'd still been bleeding when they'd laid her down with the dead.

Iruka felt his heart break. He could. If it was to protect Konoha, to protect the children… he could kill Kakashi. He could kill Kakashi for them.

That broke him; he started crying, sobbing, and Tsunade moved from behind her desk to comfort him. She didn't change her decision – she'd watch his realization play through his eyes like a video. It hurt her to watch someone she cared for so much, break like that, watch them become something like a monster, watch them hate themselves, and realize something so horrible. And now she knew he was ready. He would be ANBU. He would serve his people.

X.x.X.x.X

Iruka dashed after Kakashi in the field, screaming his name. They'd been sent to retrieve a group of Missing Nin – kidnapped by the Sand, presumably for information gathering through torture – and they'd found them dead, their bodies barely recognizable. They'd been skinned alive, and hung from a tree where a recon team would easily find them, their ANBU masks strapped to their faces.

Iruka had thrown up the last ration bar he'd had, and kept puking bile until he passed out, Kakashi undergoing similar actions. They'd woken up together, huddled in the recess under a tree trunk, shivering. It was snowing outside, preserving the bodies still hanging on the trees in a case of ice, displaying them.

And Kakashi had gone ballistic. The mission was failed – they were supposed to return back to the village for their next mission, but Kakashi had other plans. He'd been mumbling under his breath the entire time they destroyed the remains of their fellow ninja, fellow ANBU – _Genma, Raidou, Shibi… _- something about a very painful death, and then dashed off into the trees, only saying one thing to Iruka, "Watch my back." And he was gone, kunai drawn, heading towards the base nearby, where they'd been told the ANBU would be tortured and incarcerated at, his face a mask of deadly determination.

Iruka ran after him. He had to stop him. He'd get himself killed. They'd been on the field, constantly with only three days break between each major mission, three hours between the "normal" ones, to eat, sleep, and be healed. Emotionally, physically, mentally… they were both exhausted. The war was nearly over, but Iruka wasn't sure he and Kakashi would see it to its end.

He'd only been chasing after Kakashi for a few minutes, when they were ambushed, a group of maybe twenty nin . _What village has those kinds of resources?_ Iruka thought wildly as they fought them off. But it was futile. They were outnumbered, and they were losing. Kakashi'd been stabnbed in the back, and he was losing a lot of blood. Iruka cried out, distracted as Kakashi fell to the ground, passing out, eyes rolling into the back of his head, and Iruka's collar was broken with a slash to the chest in his momentary distraction. He stumbled to Kakashi, his hand bloody from holding the kunai so hard, and wrapped his arms around Kakashi's body, murmuring the words and struggling with the hand signs to the jutsu they'd been taught for this kind of situation.

The clearing erupted in a flash of white and blue flames, obliterating everything.

And in the end, he'd had to kill Kakashi. He just wasn't expecting to have to kill himself as well.

_**Finit.**_


End file.
